Armor
by Exilo
Summary: Its all comes down to this: a life as a pet, or a chance at freedom. Chapter 8 is a special bonus, including three alternate endings.
1. Chapter 1

**Man, this story has been a long time coming. I had the idea to sequeal the Dragon and the Hunter in December 2005. I just never had the motivation to write it until about a month ago, in which I wrote the entire thing in about five days. The reason for my sudden burst in enthusiasm? Nintendo has yet to announce if Ridley will be playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I know, I know, its horrible that the Pokemon Trainer is added before Ridley. Justice must be served, and since I don't work for Nintendo, I will give Ridley the justice of a sequeal. Anyway, heres the story. It will run for six chapters plus an epilogue. Updates will come every Tuesday night. Enjoy, and reviews are welcome.**

_Chapter 1_

Her name was Nara Su-mas, or at least that's what her well forged identification papers said. Her real name, or at least the one that she was given at birth, was Samus. But that was a life time ago, and there were but a handful of people who still remembered the infamous bounty hunter.

Su, as she called herself, was dressed in mangled scraps of mismatched clothing. Her hair was greased and dirty so its color was a filthy rusted blonde hue. The colony she now called home was sizable and so in need of many services. She was able to find work as a mechanic at a small shop without much trouble. It was a lowly job, but it was solitary and offered decent pay.

The colony was rich in resources, so it boasted a large military presence. Soldiers often came to her, either requiring repairs of their vehicle, or even fine tuning their guns. She would stand right beside the soldiers, stare at them, smile and say she would see what she could do. And they would leave without even recognizing her.

"Slow night," Rufus, her boss, observed.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"Why don't you head home for the night?"

Samus nodded, drying her hands free of oil, before walking out into the cool night air.

The only furniture in her apartment was a cot, which she didn't own, but came with the living space. The only appliances were a mini-fridge and a microwave up against the far wall. The only utensil: a butchers knife used for preparing food.

Since she wasn't hungry, she decided on the cot and lay down. And she lay there, breathing, thinking, counting the cracks in the ceiling.

"Hello there, Lady," Adam said. He was leaning against the far wall, but soon walked over and sat down next to her.

"Go away," she said.

"Is something wrong? You don't have the usual chipper tone in your voice."

Samus exhaled heavily. "I don't know. I'm bored."

"Of course you're bored. You used to be able to fly planet to planet. Meet interesting people. Kill anyone you wanted. You got to exterminate whole species. Then you had to go disobey a direct order and crash that space station."

"You helped me do it," she snapped.

"No I didn't," he corrected. "The AI of Adam helped you. You lost him when your ship was blown up, remember? I'm just a figment of your imagination, brought about from years of repressing emotion and the guilt you feel for all the lives you've taken."

Samus sighed again.

"Why not go out?" Adam asked. "Take a nice shower, put on some clean clothes. Have dinner with a nice handsome man. Sleep with him then never call back. Seriously, Lady, when was the last time you had sex?"

"What year is this?"

"I know what you want," he laughed. "You want to meet a nice space dragon. You dirty little girl."

"Shut up Adam, or I swear I will blow my brains out. I die, you die."

"It has been ten years since you last saw Ridley. What did you see in him anyway?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "It was what he saw in me. When someone sees me in my powersuit, I'm Samus Aran: super bounty hunter. And when they see me now, I'm Nara Su-mas: mechanic. But Ridley just saw me, you know. Its how you saw me, not as a hunter or a woman, just as me."

"So you liked him?"

"No, I hate that fucking lizard. I hate him more than anything. He killed my parents. Just killed my mom, stuck that tail of his inside her and twisted. He stabbed me and left me for dead, a child. If I ever see him again, I swear to god I will kill him. But that doesn't mean I don't respect him."

"Are you sure he doesn't make certain parts of you quiver?"

Samus smashed her elbow into Adam's nose, causing him to stumble off the bed. She dropped her foot onto his throat before he could stand back up. "You ever say that again, and I'll kill you. I don't know, but I will."

"You know, from this angle I have a perfect view of your quivering…"

Samus leaned her full weight onto Adam's throat, snapping it wetly. Without a word, she lay down and turned her back to him. Her breath grew heavy, signifying she had fallen asleep.

Her alarm clock was set to go off at eight o'clock, which would give Samus a full hour to get ready before she had to go to work. Instead she woke at ten to seven. It wasn't a shrieking beep, but a wailing siren that served as her alarm. She knew that sound, and what it meant. The colony was being raided.

She didn't know what she was doing, it may have been better to stay in her apartment, but her hand found the knife on the table, and her feet carried her out of the door.

She took all of five steps outside of her apartment before she heard the clicking, clacking language of the space pirates, and turned to see two of them roaring towards her. The lead pirate cackled, holding his weapon out and pointing to the ground. Knife in hand, Samus ducked and slipped close to the pirate, before rising, cramming the steel into his weakly armored neck.

The second pirate shrieked and fired, but Samus held dead pirate above her, allowing its corpse to absorb the shots. She found her shield's side arm, pulling it out and shooting the second pirate in the chest twice before he finally fell. Then she was running. It was something hard for her to do. A part of her, the prideful foolish part, demanded she stay and fight. But that part was small, and the urge to survive was stronger.

She would never reach the safety of the colony's shelter. Turning a blind corner, running with all her might, she stumbled into a shoot out between the occupying Federation and the invading pirates.

Her ears burst and her skin burned as something exploded a few feet forward. The force sent her back, off her feet and onto the ground. Her mind rattled. Her skin tingled from a thousand tiny lacerations. She heard someone screaming at her to get up, even over the ringing in her ears, and realized it was Adam. And behind Adam came the pirates. She struggled to lift her blaster in a defensive act. The pirate simply smashed the butt of his rifle onto her head and knocked her out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Who the hell is Lucas? Damn you Nintendo, you dragon-hating bastards! Oh well, there will still have a few characters to reveal, plus the hidden characters. And thank you for the reviews.**

_Chapter 2_

"Well you wanted more excitement. Be careful what you wish for."

"Shut up, Adam," Samus warned.

"I'm just saying, isn't this exciting. Waiting in someone's personal quarters. Judging by the size, someone high up. The grunts cleaned you up nice, washed your hair and scrubbed all that shit off your skin. You look halfway decent."

"Shut up, Adam."

"That's a really cute dress, by the way."

Samus smashed the heel of her palm into Adam's nose. He laughed in a nasally voice as blood trickled down his lips.

"You should feel lucky, Lady. Most prisoners taken are used as meat. You get to look forward to a nice long life as a pet. You know what that collar is for right? You disobey your new master, and fifteen thousand volts go straight from your head to toe."

Samus examined the choker wrapped around her neck. "It's a simple lock. I can pick it if I can get a needle or a hairpin or something. I can kill one of the grunts easy enough. Take his weapon and find an escape pod."

"Do you believe it would be that simple?"

"Yes I do."

"Come on Lady, you're too smart to be this stupid. You try to fiddle with that thing, and it'll detonate. I'm betting there's at least a few ounces of C4 in there. Blow that pretty little head clean off."

The door to the quarters opened, drawing Samus's attention away from Adam and to the entrance. Adam disappeared. There was no puff of smoke or flash of light. With Samus's concentration broken, he simply ceased to exist.

To enter, the space dragon had to bow his head, and even then his size was only barely compensated. Wings folded neatly behind his back, he managed to stalk inside, tail dragged behind him, sharp yellow eyes shifting about the room before finally settling on Samus.

"Space cadet," Ridley cackled. "I thought you were dead."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Samus muttered.

"Funny, last time we met, I had you completely at my mercy. You didn't have your armor on, and it was in my power to kill you any way I chose. Wow! Déja vu."

Samus dove forward, rolling between Ridley's long legs to his blind side, where she ran to the still open door. She reached the threshold just as a surge of pain ran up her spine. Her legs gave way. She fell, crashing into the floor, the paralysis weighing her limbs down. She felt Ridley take hold of her ankle and drag her deep into the room, her skin streaking along the metal floor.

He dropped her, and she managed enough strength to rise to all fours. Then, with a hefty push, she managed to move erect. But her legs proved too weak, and she would have fallen but her natural impulse was to stretch out her arms and take hold of anything within reach. It took her another moment to realize she'd grabbed onto Ridley's draped wing. Embarrassed, she let go and retreated a few steps back.

"Don't do that again," he warned. "Such a death is unbefitting you." His wings twittered a moment, before falling still.

"I'd rather be dead than serve as your pet."

"Such hostility? You rather enjoyed my company last time we met."

"Then we stood as equals. That is not the case now. This collar puts me into sub servitude. And I have always hated you."

"Why?" he asked. "Years on life support. Hundreds of my comrades: slaughtered. But I don't hate you, space cadet. I don't like you, but you were doing what you were paid to do. We are a lot alike. We kill for money, you kill for money. We leave orphans in our wake, you leave orphans in your wake. Or did you think that pirates are magically conceived? No, space cadet. Every time you killed one of us, a child loses his father. A man loses his brother. A mother loses her son."

Samus's hand clenched into a fist. She swung wildly, colliding hard with Ridley's beak. Her knuckles nearly broke on his thick skin, but he must have been hurt, because he groaned a guttural roar. He lifted a foot and kicked Samus down. His tail lashed forward, the sharp edge stopping a mere inch from her throat.

"You killed my mother. You killed my father in your selfish plunder of my home. I was three years old and you just swatted me away like I was a bothersome fly. I was three. I wanted to be friends and you tried to kill me."

"And your people killed my people," he hissed. His tail flickered away, settling at his back, then wrapping around his clawed feet. "There used to be a lot of dragons, space cadet. But your little Federation hunted us down and killed us off, because we posed a _possible_ threat to security."

He stalked over to his nest, rummaging through it before unearthing his treasure and throwing it to Samus.

"Dog tags?" she asked.

"My mother managed to take those off the soldier that killed my father. She gave them to me, just before she died. Read the name."

"Gunnery Sergeant Caron Aran."

He growled again. "It took me years to put everything together: the little girl in the field, the bounty hunter in the armor, the dog tags my mom gave me just before she hid me and your mother killed her. Don't whine to me about loss, space cadet. Don't whine to me about hardship or pain.

"For what its worth, I killed your mother in self-defense. It was nothing personal. And should I kill you, it's because you're a threat. Nothing personal."

"You've never mentioned anything about this before."

"You're right, space cadet, I should have. You are always in such a talkative mood after all."

Ridley stalked over to the far corner of the room, which served as his nest. He settled down, wings folded neatly, head rested. The rise and fall of his shoulders slowed as he fell into sleep.

Samus found a bundle of cloth that could serve as a pillow. Awkwardly, she settled down and tried to rest.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is one of those chapters that no matter how many times I revise it, its still not quite perfect. I think the problem is that i like the prior chapter so much, i think the dialogue between Ridley and Samus was so sharp, that this one can't really compare. But its Tuesday, so i have to post something. Thank you for all the reviews. Ridley for Brawl!**

_Chapter 3_

"This doesn't change anything," Samus growled, pacing furiously about the room. "He killed my mother. He left me for dead."

"And that's completely different than what you did to him," Adam snorted. And what your mother did to him."

"That's bullshit. My mother would never do something like that."

"Well, let's look at the fact. Your mother met your father in the academy and were married soon after. Your mother did hold the rank of Gunnery Sergeant before retiring. From the incident with the X and the metroids, we can say the Federation doesn't always act in a moral way. And we do know that your mother and father were involved in several black ops procedures. Even when you worked for the Federation, you didn't have the authorization to see everything she did. That leave us with a dragon with a fairly believable story."

"My mother wouldn't have done something like that."

Adam put an arm around Samus's shoulder in a comforting act. Her mind was a powerful thing. He didn't exist, he wasn't real, but she convinced herself she felt his warmth brush over her.

"How much did you actually know about your mother? You lost her when you were only five."

"I know she wasn't a murderer."

"But she was a soldier. And she followed orders. You exterminated the metroids under orders. Killed off an entire species."

"You are part of my brain. You're supposed to be on my side."

"I am a manifestation of your subconscious," he corrected. "I take what ever side you know deep down to be true."

"I don't know what's true anymore. Ridley lies and kills and rapes and pillages. This is just some sort of trick. God, I miss the old days where I could just kill things."

Adam thought to himself a while. "Would you lie to Ridley?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question. Would you lie to him? With all he has done to you, with how much you hate him, would you lie to him?"

"No. Because I know the truth would hurt him more."

"Then the question is, Lady. Would he lie to you?"

Samus put her head down, covering herself with her hands. Adam gently sat down beside her, stroking her back, until the door opened, and Samus heard the scraping of claws on the ground. She looked to see Adam, but he had disappeared, as he always did.

"I've never asked you for anything, Ridley. I never asked you for mercy, even when I was a kid. But I ask you now for the truth, just this once. Did my mother kill your mother?"  
Ridley examined her, his tail swaying behind him. At any moment it could lash forward and kill Samus, faster than she could realize what was happening. He passed her a pair of black coveralls, preferable clothing compared to the revealing dress she currently wore, and settled onto his haunches.

"My mother came to the cave one day. She had been shot through the breast and she was dieing. She said there were monsters upon us, and those monsters had killed my father. She hid me, and gave me the dog tags. She told me, one day, I had to make them pay. I didn't see who killed my mother, or my father, but those are the dog tags. I guess I've made them pay, so you can keep those if you like."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"I'm not sure," he grinned. "You are completely at my mercy. I require nothing you can offer me. I could kill you, or keep you, its my choice."

"Just kill me."

"Very well then," he said, clicking a button on the controller.

Samus screamed, but her voice choked in her throat as the pain surged through her. She collapsed, thrashing violently on the ground. Everything burned, everything hurt. She choked out another scream.

She didn't know how long it lasted, in retrospect it was probably only a few seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. When it finally stopped, her hair and skin was seared and smoking. She coughed, vomiting sticky bile up from her stomach. Tears wetted her eyes and streaked down her face.

She hated herself for showing weakness, but the pain was too retching. Her insides felt like mush that would slip between her legs at any moment. She did not know if she had the strength to stand, she did not bother trying.

"Only fools give their life up so easily," Ridley hissed. "If you are a warrior, then you deserve a warrior's death. But if you are a coward, then you deserve to suffer. Which will it be?"

Samus spat a wad of phlegm and blood at the base of Ridley's talons. He cackled again, accepting this as a renewed willingness to live, and left her alone with her pain.

As the name would suggest, the colony ship was the size of a large colony. The personal carried numbered in the four hundreds. Ridley walked, and when he passed one of the lower ranking pirates, they would stop and tremble, holding a salute until he passed.

Space pirates were a funny species. They bred and matured so they could breed again at such an accelerated rate, they would overpopulate the galaxy if left to their own devices. Fortunately, their culture afforded them many opportunities to die. Pirate law and religion, if it could be called that, dictated there was no greater honor than a death in battle, and to display cowardice was the ultimate atrocity.

Despite their generally perceived cruelty and ruthlessness, it was not unheard of for the Pirates to adopt a creature of a different species, and integrate the creature into their society, it was actually quite common. That had happened with Ridley, and over the years he had risen to his current rank of High Commander. Most other ranking leaders were space pirates born, such as General Weavel.

General Weavel had been born a space pirate, but a bad run in with Samus Aran on Brinstar left him nearly dead. Only an experimental procedure saved his life. His organic body was almost completely destroyed: only his brain existed within an artificial metallic husk. Even the slightest of movement was accompanied by the winding and creaking of gears.

"Sir," Weavel saluted.

"At ease," Ridley hissed. "Report on the raid."

"A success sir. Casualties on both sides, but the Federation suffered the worst of it. We managed to procure several of their resources, as well as capture two of their gun ships."

"Excellent. Double rations for the troops. They served well today."

"Yes sir," Weavel said, saluting again before walking away. He put a good distance between himself and the dragon, before slipping into his quarters.

"Ah, General Cassius, it is good to see you again," Weavel said, noticing his company.

"What is the meaning of this General?" Cassius asked.

"I believe it is time we talked, about High Commander Ridley."

General Cassius's eyes flickered with fear. "What about him?"

"Nearly a decade and a half, he abandons us. Doesn't aid us or anything. Then he comes back, and High Command bestows upon him the rank of High Commander again. That must anger you."

"Do you realize what you are saying? High Commander Ridley will have your head."

"There is no harm in simply talking. High Command permits talking. High Commander Ridley has grown soft in his time away from us. He is not capable of leading this battalion to anything but death."

"The raids have been going fine. High Command is pleased with his work," Cassius said.

"Do you set your sights so low, that you are content to work for an overgrown lizard? I'm giving you the chance to rule."

"You are a fool," Cassius grinned. "You are a fool for even thinking of betraying High Commander Ridley. He will have your head. I will not betray him."

Weavel ignited the sword, kept in his right arm, and plunged the sizzling blade into Cassius's chest. "So be it," he snarled.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

"Go ahead, do it. You know you want to," Adam coaxed.

Ridley was asleep. Samus had managed to slip the sidearm out of his holster, but so slowly as not to wake the sleeping dragon. She now held the blaster at arm's length, hand trembling. She had ended the existence of hundreds of thousands of creatures in her long life, and her hand had never before trembled.

"His hide is pretty thick, but you shoot him through the eye socket enough time, and it should reach his brain."

Ridley shifted in his sleep, wings ruffled, tail twitched, but he did not wake. Samus refocused her aim. How many times had she thought him dead? She had always been in a rush; never having the luxury of confirming a kill. Now she had all the time in the world to aim. And he had no way of fighting back.

"Pull the trigger, Lady. He has always been decent enough to give you a respectful death, but why should you return the favor? He killed your mother after all. He led the raid that killed your father. And you're sure of that. He's not even sure who did in his mommy."

Samus wanted to pull the trigger. She doubted it would kill Ridley, but it would hurt him. He should be hurt. All the things he had done, all the lives he had taken, all the children he had orphaned. He deserved to be hurt a lot.

She thought of turning the gun on herself. Quick and painless through the mouth. All the things she had done. All the lives she had taken. All the children she had orphaned. Maybe she deserved to be hurt.

The barrel tasted like sour oil as her tongue found the hole. Her finger found the trigger. The scar on her belly burned like a hot brand.

"Do it," he demanded.

Samus turned her aim to Adam and fired. The gun clicked noisily, but did not discharge. "Clips empty," she muttered, throwing the weapon across the room. It banged loudly against the wall and floor before finally coming to rest. "What kind of a pirate keep an empty gun in his holster?"

"Go to sleep, Lady. Maybe things will look better tommorow."

Morning came soon after. Of course, there was no morning in space, but Samus woke, and so she called this time morning.

The shower was vast enough for a space dragon, so it easily compensated Samus. The water shot out of the shower with such pressure she was knocked over. She looked around the empty confines of the room, sure that somehow, someone had witnessed her lack of grace, but there was not even Adam.

For a long time, she stood beneath the water, not bothering to clean herself, just feeling the heat on her skin. Upon accepting that she was alone, sure that there was no hidden camera in the wall or the mirror was a two way, trick one, she sat down and allowed herself to cry.

She stepped out, drying herself off with a towel, pausing thoughtfully when she reached the scar on her belly, the scar she had carried with her for nearly forty years. Her powersuit protected her, so despite her many dangerous campaigns, her body was flawless save the ugly broken skin just bellow her navel.

Ridley stormed into the room, shrieking and screaming, tail thrashing furiously behind him. Samus pulled her clothing on and left the bathroom. The dragon did not greet her, nor give her much attention. He was occupied with sifting through his nest.

When the door opened so a space pirate could enter, Ridley turned and quickly decapitated the minion with a snap of his agile beak.

"What the fuck?" Samus asked as the headless corpse crashed to the ground, blood gushing out and oozing along the floor. Another space pirate came through the door. Ridley's gullet glowed with heat, just before a blast shot forth from his open beak. The pirate barely had time to scream before he was reduced to ash.

"What the fuck?" she asked again.

Ridley scooped up the decapitated pirate's rifle and tossed it to Samus, who fumbled dumbly with it.

"There is a coup, the generals have decided I am unfit to lead this battalion, and so I am to be eliminated. They will most likely kill you just for the hell of it. I would advise we get going."

"Fuck you," she snarled, throwing the rifle at him.

Ridley took hold of his remote. The lightening surged through Samus's body, suddenly and painfully, reducing her to her knees. Tears filled her eyes but she clamped hard on her tongue to prevent her pleas for mercy from escaping her throat.

"Move," he hissed.

"No," she said again. "Go ahead, kill me. I don't care."

Ridley sighed as he hoisted her up, throwing her roughly over his shoulder and stalked out of the room. Every so often, pirates would block their path, but they were quickly incinerated by Ridley's fiery breath or a snap of his sharp beak.

The last time she fought with him, back when life was simple, he had breathed that flame. The sensors of her powersuit were immediately burned out and she cast about blindly. Even with the armor, the heat seared her skin. Blindly, she released a missile, and by grace of some higher power it found its way into his mouth.

The blast damaged his throat to the extent he could barely talk for months after. During his time on life support, floating through the cold reaches of space, his vocal cords healed to the point he could talk again. It was only after countless reconstructive surgeries that the ability to breathe flame was granted to him again.

The time without that asset had afforded him many opportunities to fine-tune the other aspects of combat. His tail lashed forward, into one pirate's chest. The talons of his foot imbedded into another's head. His wings swept the masses aside as if they were weightless.

Samus had always felt a healthy amount of fear for Ridley, but now she was terrified. She had always been shielded in her powersuit when they fought, but to see him tear through the army of pirates like a child does an ant hill, she was truly scared. A decade ago, he had been weak and broken. Now he was at the pinnacle of strength. And she was like the child on the field, helpless against him.

Samus lost count of how many pirates he mangled before they finally reached the airlock room. He breathed a steady stream of flame upon the door, welding it into a soft metal barricade. "Put on a suit," he ordered. She was going to protest, but he lifted his remote in a threatening manner.

The deep space suits were designed to stretch or retract to fit the dimensions of the varying sized pirates. It did not fit Samus as snuggly as her powersuit, but it would protect her. Ridley ordered her to take a heavy battle rifle off the wall before offering his back to her.

"You're kidding?" Samus asked.

The pounding on the door was growing steadily louder. Any moment it would give and the pirates would flood inside.

"I can fly, you can't. I don't like this anymore than you, space cadet."

"But, there has to be another way. I don't want to ride you."

Ridley took her around the waist and threw her over his shoulder. She managed to awkwardly scramble between his long wings and hold tightly to his neck. His beak glowed as he released a concentrated blast that blew a hole in the far wall. The strength of the newly formed vacuum tore the dragon out. Samus nearly fell off, but managed to hold tighter to his neck. She opened her eyes, and looked forward to the planet they approached.


	5. Chapter 5

**This was probably one of the hardest weeks of my life. I just had so much work to do for college: papers, projects, midterms, and a few things I would prefer not to talk about. How does this affect you, you may ask. Well, I had no time to fine-tune the chapters that I post today. I have drank so much Mountain Dew and Coffee to stay awake, it's a miracle my heart hasn't exploded. Anyway, I apologize in advance for the spelling or grammar mistakes I am sure exist. Honestly, it's a miracle I'm posting at all. Enjoy.**

_Chapter 5_

Ridley's powerful wings beat the air, gradually slowing his decent until he hovered a few inches above the ground. He stretched out his legs to take a firm footing in the earth before allowing Samus to stumble off his back.

"The first thing they'll do it fix the breach in the ship. This will take about an hour. Then they'll come for us."

"For you," Samus corrected.

"They'll kill the target and anyone related to the target. It's what I would do. We'll have to get moving."

"No," she demanded.

Ridley lifted the remote mockingly, but Samus repeated, "No. I'm not moving unless you take this thing off me. Shock me to death, incinerate me, bite off my head, I don't care. But I won't move. You can carry me if you want me that bad, but I guarantee I will kick and scream and bite the whole way.

"Think about it. You've got your wings. You've got your breath. I have nothing except this sniper rifle, which would take too long to shoot to do any real damage to you. I have nothing. I need you. Just take this off me. Please."

Ridley smirked at the corners of his mouth. Bending his head so that he and Samus were nearly eye level, his delicate hands found her throat, and for a moment she thought he would choke the life out of her. Instead, using the remote as a key, he undid her collar, twirling it on a finger before dropping it, along with the remote, to the ground.

She slowly scooped up the collar from the ground. Then, the moment his back was turned, she was upon him. She found a rough footing on his back and secured the choker around his throat.

"Bitch!" he snarled as he twisted, throwing her to the round. His tail swung clumsily at her. It was easy to dive beneath the swinging appendage, hands extended, fingers finding the remote.

There was something unimaginably satisfying about leaning heavy on the button and watching as Ridley began to writhe in pain. He hissed and cursed, cooked and smoked. But most importantly, he screamed. She held the button down until he did not have the strength to stand, instead convulsing violently on the ground. Finally, she released her grip.

"B-bitch," he coughed wetly.

"Just evening the playing field," she explained.

Ridley's jaws glowed, but Samus held up the remote and pressed the button, and he writhed and convulsed in agony.

"You know, I wasn't sure if it would feel as good a second time. I was wrong."

"Stop it," he begged.

She smiled at the power she now held, holding down the button one last time, enjoying his screeches. When she released him, his head fell, drool pooling on the ground beneath his beak. For a moment, she was afraid she had killed him, but soon his eyes glinted with life.

"I'm going to let you get away with that, seeing as I did it to you quit a few times. But if you ever do that again, I'll kill you, you little cunt."

"Who's running this coup?" she asked as if she had not heard him. "Do you even know?"

"You've had a run in with General Weavel?"

"Yes."

"And he bested you?"

"Once," she admitted after a pause.

"Weavel is an excellent soldier, just a bit too power-hungry. He's probably the one who initiated the coup. I have to contact High Command and tell them what is happening."

He struggled to his haunches, permitting Samus to climb onto his back, before he took to the air.

"Ridley," she said. "We have company."

There were five ships, Samus counted. Five personal fighterest that were speeding through the skies after them.

"Their response time is remarkable," Ridley mused. "They must have diverted these soldiers from the job of sealing the breach. I would have seen to the ship's safety first, then attacked in full force, but to each his own.

"If you wouldn't mind, space cadet, shoot them down with that heavy rifle strapped to your back. The cockpit of the fighters is heavily armored. Aim for the engines on either wing."

Samus had received some training as a sharp shooter during her service in the Galactic Federation, but that was it. The evasive maneuvers of the enemy ships, as well as the shifting momentum of her draconic mount, made aiming difficult. She put her eye to the rifle's scope, lined the crosshairs and squeezed the trigger, but missed when the ship suddenly climbed higher into the air.

She aimed again and fired, this time succeeding in damaging her target's left engine. It spun and jerked a moment, before spiraling down to the ground.

She was happy, even proud at what she'd done. She brought the rifle to aim, and squeezed the trigger, but missed. She aimed again, and missed again. Only on the third shot did her aim prove true.

By now the remaining ships were in range to begin their attack. Their weapons roared to life, blasts lanced inches from Samus. She held tightly as the dragon swiftly began his evasion, gliding through the descending torrent effortlessly. He turned his head towards the pursing ships, his throat glowing until a fiery blast burst forward into one of the ships. He breathed a second blast, just as one of the lasers of the volley tore into the leather of his right wing.

He beat his wings furiously in a vain attempt to stay in the air, or at least slow down, but it was futile. Gravity and momentum pulled him. Samus was thrown forward, cracking her head on the hard earth. She wanted to pass out, give into the sweet embrace of sleep, but she forced her eyes open, blinking the salty crimson away. She brought the rifle to her eye as a laser volley descended around her. She gave that no attention, completely focusing on the shifting view of the fighter's engine. In another breath, it would be upon her. She only had one shot.

She squeezed the rifle's trigger, the recoil tearing what weak hold she had on consciousness. Her last image was the fighter, its engine damaged, and it spiraled to a crash. Then she cuddled against the blackness of slumber.

Cold air sucked into her lungs. There was a pain behind her eyes that got worse when she opened them. She would of liked to fall back to sleep, but forced herself to move. She had been bleeding from her scalp, but the blood was dried and crusted. It was night now, the air carried an icy chill that froze her lungs. Samus wondered how long she'd been out. At least a few hours.

"Ridley," she breathed. She tried to shake the dragon back to consciousness, but he just lay there. If not for the rise and fall of his shoulders, signifying he was breathing, she'd of thought his neck broke when he hit the ground and now lay dead.

"He's out cold," Adam observed. "You should just leave him. The pirates will be down here any second."

"I can't just leave him."

"Yes you can. It's easy, you just start walking and don't stop. You were going to shoot him when he was asleep a few days ago."

"And you convinced me that was a cowardly thing to do."

"If you stay here with that overgrown lizard, you are going to die. And if you die, I die, and I'm not ready to find out who's right about the afterlife."

"You're already dead."

"No Lady, I'm as alive as you are. I am you, the rational part. Now let's get going. We need to put distance between us and here."

Samus looked to the unconscious dragon, the slow rise and fall of his wings as he breathed in and out. "One chance," she mused, taking the remote out of her pocket and leaning on the button.

Ridley showed life immediately: a shriek of pain and a violent spasm that lasted until she eased off the button. Samus moved to him, struggling to help him to his feet. "We have to move."


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy Halloween my loyal readers. Welcome to the last chapter of Armor. Next Tuesday I'll post the epilogue, then its good bye and good luck.**

_Chapter 6_

"Do you even have a plan as to where we are going?" Samus demanded.

"You don't know what planet we're on, do you space cadet?"

Samus shrugged, annoyed by her ignorance as much as Ridley's condescending tone. She thought of giving him a shock, but didn't act on the impulse.

"This planet is Cenan. We used to have a base here, but it hasn't been used for a while. The computers should still be working. I can contact High Command and stop this pathetic coup."

"Will that work?"

"Weavel is a brilliant soldier, but he does not carry as much favor with High Command as I do. The soldiers under his command are a microscopic fraction of all our forces. His plan is probably to kill me, and tell High Command I fell during a raid. High Command will be furious at the deception. I imagine Weavel will suffer quite a bit before he is put to death."

"Go ahead," Adam cooed. "Ask him what will happen to you once this is all over. His men will be able to take that choker off him, then you've got nothing."

"He respects me," she whispered.

"He's using you. He wanted you as a pet, then he needed you to shoot down the ships and shock him awake."

"What do you suggest I do, run away? Kill him?"

"Who are you talking to?" Ridley asked, looking over his shoulder and past his wings.

"No one," Samus lied.

Adam continued, "Lets think of what you want, because that's what I am, an embodiment of your desires. You don't want to kill Ridley, at least not when he's asleep or his back is turned. You don't want Ridley to kill you, because no sane creature wants to die. You don't want to be his pet, and you don't want him to have to wear that choker."

"So what does that all mean?"

"You like him. Face it Lady, there have only been five people in your life who have been decent with you, who would fight with you, who see you as you really are. There was your parents, there was Old-bird, there was the real Adam Malkovich, and apparently there is Ridley. He may never have liked you. He may hate you. But he respect you, and sees beneath your armor to what you really are."

"I don't think he hates me."

"Do you hate him?"

"He killed my parents."

"But do you hate him?"

"I don't…" she stuttered. "I don't hate him I guess. I just don't know if I'm ready to like him."

"Did you say something space cadet?"

"If you call me space cadet one more time, I'll fry you."

Ridley chuckled loudly, but said nothing more.

The human and the dragon had taken to walking side by side, but roughly five feet apart. The ground gave way as Samus put her full weight on her forward foot. The light of the stars disappeared as she fell into the darkness of a hole. She screamed at the sudden realization that she was falling as much as the consuming darkness. Wind battered her face. She couldn't see, but she imagined any second she would hit the ground and pop like a water balloon. Distance whizzed past her: ten feet, twenty, fifty.

So this is how I die, she thought. On some foreign planet I never heard of, not in combat with a hundred foes but falling through a hole like some idiot. The thought made her laugh.

Strong talons wrapped around her shoulders, the sharp tips drawing blood, but she swallowed back a scream. Powerful, wounded wings beat the air, slowly bringing Samus to a stop. She and Ridley continued to fall, but at a much easier rate. She guessed it was another thirty feet before at last they reached solid ground and she was released.

Ridley's beak glowed with heat, just enough to illuminate the cave they now found themselves in. He gestured for her to follow, continuing down the hall.

Sustaining his fiery breath for prolonged amounts of time must have been painful. Once the lights for the cave hummed to life, Ridley's jaws extinguished and he coughed dryly, groaning as his claw moved up and rubbed his throat.

"I have to know," he said, his voice no higher than a whisper. "What did you ever think you would accomplish by killing me? Would it bring your mother back? Would it put you at peace?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just curious. It's a long walk. Gotta pass the time."

"It wasn't about revenge. It was about making sure that no child ever had to grow up without a mother and father. Cause if I killed you and everyone like you, then maybe a child wouldn't have to see her mother die."

"You know that's bullshit," he laughed. "Cause you put me on life-support and you killed the Mother Brain and you slaughtered hundreds of us. And what good did it do? High Command was reformed and I didn't even have to do anything. Hell, you were working for the bad guys all along, helping the Federation do as they please."

"He's right you know," Adam chimed in.

"You were worse," Samus said. "You raided and pillaged and raped. The Federation may have done a lot of shit but it was in the name of security."

"Tell that to the dragons," he chuckled.

The air of the tunnel grew warmer and warmer as the tunnel expanded into a vast open cave. The air was thick and stale and hard to breath. Ridley lifted his hand, gesturing for her to stop. "Kraid," he called out.

It took a moment for his voice to echo through the cave's walls, a moment more for her to realize what he said. "Kraid?" she asked as the ground beneath her began to rumble.

Miles above, on the surface, the space pirates spread through the lands. Finding the hole in the ground, one of the pirates ignited a glowing stick and dropped it down the shaft. "General Weavel," he said into his communicator. "I believe I have found them."

Weavel's mechanical legs pushed his body forward. Upon inspecting the tunnel, he ordered his men to follow him down into the darkness.

---

The cave was vast, at least sixty feet high, and yet it still barely compensated the titanic lizard. He had been sleeping prior, slumped over, but now he sat up, his head scrapping against the cavern's roof. His face was lost somewhere high up, but Samus did notice three eyes that burned through the dizzying black of the sky-scraping shadows. He exhaled, hot breath blowing over her and nearly knocking her down. Ridley was roughly two or three times Samus's size, but Kraid towered over both of them, a vast expanse of bloated flesh and scales.

Samus climbed onto Ridley's back, and his broken wings beat fiercely as he struggled to climb into the heights. It was an agonizing few minutes, but finally they reached a perch that put them roughly eye level with Kraid, who exhaled his hot stale breath again. Samus shivered, those jaws were vast enough to swallow a tiny human in a single bite. She looked to Ridley, who didn't seem frightened in the slightest.

"Hello old friend," the dragon hissed.

Samus had never heard Kraid talk; she did not even know he had the capacity. His voice was a low, an almost inaudible rumble that destroyed Samus's eardrums. She cupped her hands over her ears to tolerate it. "Ridley," he grumbled. "And a friend, perhaps a snack?"

The dragon spread his wing in front of Samus in a strangely protective act. "Is the base still intact? I have to contact High Command."

"Yes. I do not know why I am stuck here guarding it, but its here."

"You're not quite mobile enough to come onto the frontier," Ridley cackled. Samus wondered if she would make jokes with such an intimidating creature. "I do have good news though. A few hundred pirates will be coming through these halls in a little while. Have fun with them. Do what you like."

Ridley glided past Kraid's shoulder. Samus kept her head down, fearful of seeing Kraid so close up. She was terrified that somehow, this had all been an elaborate trick, and Ridley was going to feed her to his comrade. But they set down on an opposite perch, and Samus slide harmlessly off his back.

"I killed him," she breathed. "I killed him."

"Yeah you did. And we cloned him right back. So you could call that Kraid jr. Probally for the best. He tends to hold grudges a little longer than I do. If he recognized you, well. I'm not sure I could stop him."

It was thirty minutes later that the sizable battalion of pirates made their way through the cave. They didn't notice Kraid at first, he was simply too vast for them to even take notice. They were hunting the dragon after all, and so their simple minds were only looking for the dragon. The gigantic lizard's hand swept down, the front soldiers barely had time to scream as they were lifted high into the air and popped into Kraid's mouth. He laughed slightly as he swallowed, a low rumble that bounced off the cave's walls.

In unison, the remaining army lifted their weapons and fired, but the lasers bounced harmlessly against his thick hide, making tiny rippling waves in the fat. He tightened his stomach, before expanding and releasing several of the spikes on his belly forward. They crashed through the army, killing some, throwing others aside as if they were weightless. He laughed again, his hands sweeping down through the pirate's ranks, crushing some, throwing others around like ants. He was enjoying himself enough that he didn't notice as General Weavel slipped by him and down the opposite tunnel.

Weavel found Ridley and the human that accompanied him. Slowly, he ignited the energy blade and approached, the only sound the gentle grinding of his mechanical limbs.

Ridley still sensed him, and turned to breathe a concentrated blast of fire. Weavel leapt, avoiding the attack, gravity pulling him down. Blade held before him, he intended to slice Ridley neatly in two, but the dragon leapt back, breathing a stream of flame. Weavel was taken back, the hot flames burning out his optic senors. He charged blindly forward, sword carried above his head. Drawing close, he swung in a downward arc. The blade cut deep into Ridley's shoulder, digging through the flesh and bone, finally stopping three inches into his chest. The dragon shrieked in pain, stumbling as Weavel drew his sidearm and fired several shots point blank into the dragon's chest.

Ridley's tail drove forward, the sharp tip lancing into Weavel's chest. The blow wasn't fatal, in fact his mechanical body was barely damaged. He pulled his sword out of Ridley's chest and swung, removing a portion of his tail, stepping back and lifting his side arm, before shooting Ridley into the face.

The dragon stumbled, and Weavel moved in to deal the fatal blow. The only thing that stopped him was Samus, wrapping both arms around his neck in an attempt to reach his head from his body. It was a pitiful attack, but Weavel found it difficult to shake the tiny human off of him. At last, he reached back, his fingers finding Samus's hair, and he threw her to the ground. He looked back to Ridley, just as the dragon released a concentrated blast forward.

The force knocked Weavel far back, into the wall that stood ten feet away. He remained there, his optic sensors struggling for clarity through the static, the motors in his arm struggling to lift his gun. At last, his vision returned, just in time for him to see Ridley's strong jaws close around his head. There was a moment of intense, unbearable pressure, then nothing at all.

Ridley spat out the metal and blood before stumbling back to the computer, typing at it briefly until he was able to contact High Command.

"Are you alright?" Samus asked. "You're hurt."

In fact Ridley was bleeding, from deep gash on his shoulder, from what was left of his tail, from the shallow bullet holes in his chest. A pool of blood had formed at his claws on the ground. He settled down, using the wall to balance. "A squad will be here soon to take Weavel's men into custody, provided there are any left after Kraid is through with his fun."

"Ridley," she started. "What is to happen to me?"

"You will return to acting as my pet," he laughed.

Anger boiled inside of her. Samus lifted the remote, only to have it knocked out of her grip by what was left of Ridley's tail. He pulled it forward, snatched it up, and released the choker on his throat. He dropped both the choker and remote to the ground, before grinding it under a clawed foot.

"I don't want to hurt you Samus. Don't make this hard."


	7. Chapter 7

**The epilogue, which I hope lives up to everyone's expectations. This is actually the third draft I wrote, and the one i feel most strongly about. That's not to say I like it, but that its the best i could come up with. Endings are always hard to do. How do you tie up every lose end you have created in the past six chapters? At its heart, I like this ending. The writing could have been a little better, but would you really want to wait another two months for this to be posted? Chapter 8 is sort of a special feature, where I will post the three alternate endings, and the reasons that I didn't use them.**

_Epilogue_

"You really did it this time Lady. But what did you think would happen? Ridley was using you from the start. And once you served your purpose, you're right back to where you started."

Samus could not find the strength to stand up and break Adam's neck or send the bones of his nose into his brain. She did not have the vigor to tell Adam to stop. She barely had the might to lift her middle finger in his general direction.

Something felt different. She felt broken inside, like someone had punched her in the chest and shattered every bone inside her. There was no collar around her neck to keep her in line, she supposed there was no need for one now.

It won't be so bad," Adam offered. "No more responsibility. No more pressure. No more strain. It's like retirement.

"After a few weeks, you'll start to forget. Its Stockholm syndrome or something. You won't remember your hatred for him, you won't remember your hatred for anyone really. You won't remember your training, or Old-bird, or the real Adam. All you'll know is him, your master."

"I don't want this," she whined.

"It won't be so bad."

She brought her knee into Adam's groin, and he stumbled painfully to his knees.

"I'm escaping."

"How?"

Samus was startled when the door opened, even more surprised when no one came in. Slowly, with the hesitance a child has when he approaches a haunted house, she walked to the door and stepped into the hallway. There was only one guard: a hulking brute, armored and armed, insectoid mandible clicking in agitation. She couldn't kill this pirate. There was no one. Even the most poorly trained pirate could take her apart, being that she had nothing to defend herself.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

Samus paused. She looked around, searching for something that could offer her salvation. "Supreme Commander Ridley requested my presence in the escape pod chamber," she finally said.

"Why?"

"It is not my place to know why, but he will not be pleased that I am hindered in my reaching of the destination."

The pirate grunted, but stepped to his side, allowing Samus to pass.

"All the way down," the pirate said, gesturing with his clawed hand.

It was a narrow room, yet long enough that it stretched along the length of the ship. Hundreds of hatches lined the walls. Hundreds of chances to escape. The pirates would never notice one was gone until it was too late.

She heard the sound of wings flapping before she looked up and saw Ridley descending, landing gently before her.

"Fifteen minutes," he hissed. "I'm disappointed in you."

"You knew I was escaping?"

"The door is remote controled, silly little Samus."

"Why?" she screamed. "Why do you do this? Why do you give me these glimmers of hope? Why? Are you so sadistic, so evil, that you get off on making me suffer?"

"As a matter-a-fact, yes I do."

"Just kill me, for god's sake, please just kill me."

"I'm not going to kill you Samus." The stump of what was left of his tail moved under her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. "Take the third escape pod. It has supplies, so you can float in space for about a week, enough time to pick a nice new planet to call your home."

"Your letting me go?"

"Would you rather I kill you?" he asked, his mouth glowing a moment with flame.

"This isn't a trick? I'm free. I thought I was to be your pet?"

"You were never meant for such a lowly position, Samus. I just enjoy messing with you a bit. Honestly, I was thinking of taking you as my sub-commander, at least until I found someone better. I knew that Weavel, or someone else, would eventually try something. When you came along, I hoped I could groom you into something I could be proud of. But that's not the life you want, is it? And if I force you into the position, you will be bitter enough that you may attempt a coup yourself. Take the escape pod."

"How do you do it?" Samus asked.

"It's simple. There's a button inside, you press it and it'll eject the pod into space."

"No, how do you raid. How do you attack an innocent ship and plunder?"

"No one is innocent, Samus. Pirates do what we must to survive. Besides, we generally target Federation ships, and they have it coming. The way I figure it, the Federation made orphans out of both of us. Your mommy killed my mommy. And without proper parental guidance, it was inevitable I fell into a bad crowd.

"Now leave, before I change my mind."

"Thank you," she said, before entering the pod.

It was large, large enough for at least ten bulky pirates to sit comfortably, twenty could be crammed inside if neccassary. She sat down on one of the stools, Adam took the seat beside her.

"Still bored?" he chuckled.

There were enough supplies: canned rations, water, blankets, and a bottle of wine. "Is there anything he doesn't think of?" she asked.

She took a long chug of the drink, before settling back. "To a new life," she said, lifting the bottle.

"To a new life," Adam nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

**Alternate ending one:**

**This is the first endings that i wrote A lot of the parts were included in the final draft. This one is just a tad to everyone lived happily ever after. Samus seems out of character. Ridley seems out of characters. Her joining the pirates is stupid. This is written badly, and i never had the urge to clean it up. At its core, this is meant to focus on Ridley and Samus and their relationship. Introducing High Command didn't work. Nothing about this one worked.**

"You really did it this time Lady. But what did you think would happen? Ridley was using you from the start. And once you served your purpose, you're right back to where you started."

Samus could not find the strength to stand up and break Adam's neck or send the bones of his nose into his brain. She did not have the vigor to tell Adam to stop. She barely had the might to lift her middle finger in his general direction.

Something felt different. She felt broken inside, like someone had punched her in the chest and shattered every bone inside her. There was no collar around her neck to keep her in line, she supposed there was no need for one now. When the door opened and a pair of pirates came in, Samus didn't try to escape. She followed them, emotionless, docile, not even making eye contact with her captors.

"In here," one said, giving her a slight shove into a room and locking the door behind her.

She saw Ridley a few steps forward, and obediently walked to the side. He chuckled when he noticed her, the stump of his tail finding her back and pushing her forward.

A computer screen encompassed the farthest wall. Three figures were on the screen. They looked like space pirates, but their armor was more elaborate, more decorative than what the grunts wore. One of the pirates on the screen spoke, "This is the one?"

"Yes sir," Ridley nodded. "With General Weavel and the other commander of my brigade dead, I would like this one to serve as my sub commander and adjutant."

"It is unusual for us to authorize such a request. This one hasn't proven herself worthy of such a title."

"She has proven worth to me time and time again. I will take responsibility for any of her actions."

"Very well then commander."

The screen flickered dead, leaving them in darkness until the light above head came on. Samus looked to the dragon, who chuckled, gesturing for her to follow.

"Sub commander?" she asked. "You said…you said I would be your pet."

"You were never meant for such a lowly position, Samus. I just enjoy messing with you a bit."

"You would take me as your sub commander?"

"Yes, at least until I found someone better. I knew that Weavel, or someone else, would eventually try something. When you came along, I figured I could groom you into something I could be proud of. Want the job? If not I can put you aboard an escape shuttle. You have earned that much at least."

She shrugged. "I guess."

"If you are to be my sub commander, you will require some armor. Lets get you dressed."

The armor fit snuggly against Samus's skin. Not so tight that it was painful or restricting, but snug, comfortable.

"The past few years we have come close to perfecting the technology of your powersuit," he explained. "Its not perfect, but its better than that soft fleshy stuff you call skin.

"These will be your quarters, where you will be spending the majority of your pirating life." His claw typed at the control pad in the wall, opening the door.

"How do you do it?" Samus asked.

"It's simple really. You just type open into the control pad."

"No, how do you raid. How do you attack an innocent ship and plunder it?"

"No one is innocent, Samus. Pirates do what we must to survive. Besides, we generally target Federation ships, and they have it coming. The way I figure it, the Federation made orphans out of both of us. Your mommy killed my mommy by order of the Federation. And without proper parental guidance, it was inevitable I fell into a bad crowd.

"We'll be attacking a ship in eighteen hundred hours. You've got till then to make your choice: stay or leave."

He left, the door closing behind him and the sound of his talons scratching on the ground growing fainter until she could not hear them anymore. She was alone with her thoughts, which inevitably manifested into Adam.

"So this is it," she mused. "Samus Aran: space pirate. Scourge of the Federation."

"Could be worse. At least pirates admit their evils and corruption. Now you know who you're working for and what you're doing. No more deception. No more 'do this but we won't tell you why.'"

"You're right. Could be worse."

Hours later, when she found herself waiting amongst the other pirates, all anxious for the raid to commence and the blood to flow, Ridley came beside her. He looked down and smirked. "Welcome to the family," he said.

**Alternate ending two:**

"It won't be so bad," Adam offered. "No more responsibility. No more pressure. No more strain. It's like retirement.

"After a few weeks, you'll start to forget. Its Stockholm syndrome or something. You won't remember your hatred for him, you won't remember your hatred for anyone really. You won't remember your training, or Old-bird, or the real Adam. All you'll know is him, your master."

"I don't want this," she whined.

"It won't be so bad."

After a week, she stopped trying to escape, realizing the futility of the effort. After a month, she stopped attacking the dragon on sight. After two months, she couldn't remember why she had wanted to hurt him at all.

Lying on the bed, Ridley curled and sleeping beside her, she remembered that once she had hated him, but could not remember why.

She extended a hand, resting it on Ridley's skin. Lizards always looked cold and slimy, but his scales were smooth, dry, and warm. Once she had been repulsed by his mere presence. Now his company was pleasant. He was warm. So warm. She snuck closer to him.

She remembered, a long time ago, that someone had said this new life would not be so bad. He had been right.

**This was my second choice for the finale. I would have liked to use this but i ran into some problems. One, Ridley seems too evil in this. Ridley would torture Samus. He would hurt her. He may even kill her. But to brainwash her into sub-servitude just seems too far. The worst thing was, i couldn't think of how to put any of Ridley's thoughts into it. I could put a lot of Samus's internal thought into the story, by bouncing her off Adam. I didn't have that luxury with Ridley though. If i could of had him show some remorse for losing ****Samus, and turning the once brave warrior into an obident kitten would have been good. I just couldn't make it work.**

**Also there was the length of this chapter. If you've been reading this from the begining, you want a finale. I couldn't seem to expand on this chapter without going into some sort of disturbing psuedo sex scene. It would have been fun to use this one, though.**

**A third idea i never devoloped was to have a nine months later thing. Ridley would return from a raid to his wife (Samus) and his son (mini-Ridley)...It should be obvious why i didn't chose this one.**

**Thank you: alleycat1312, Forumsurfer, Reyairia, Noki, Rurikredwolf, mastersmith, and ngrey651. Thank you for the reviews, the support, and the time.**


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